The Girl and Her Grimm
by LVR7
Summary: She didn't know why Huntsmen wanted to exterminate Grimm; in her experience, if you kept to yourself, so would they... Yet, her peaceful life was ruined by the arrival of a Huntsmen team who took it upon themselves to take away some of the very few things that she care about. Vowing revenge, she sets out to kill those who responsible for the increasing void in her heart.
1. The Girl Among Grimm

Prologue: The Girl Among Grimm.

* * *

I sat in the cargo hold of an airship, opening the containers looking for food. If what the pilot said was true, it was going to be a long ride. Rummaging through a particularly hard to open crate, I find it full of fish. The smell makes me gag, and I quickly reseal the crate.

"There's no use," I finally said, giving up. The area we took off from was on the coast of a mountainous region, there would likely not be any fruit or vegetables. I walk over to the corner I had initially hid in, and began to think back to the island. It didn't feel long since I left and I still remember everything so vividly; the salty smell by the coast, and the soft soil under my bare feet. Even if there wasn't always a lot to eat, I never felt _this_ hungry.

"I'll go back someday," I swear to myself. "Once I've completed my mission."

The last days were just like any others, but everything happened so fast. I unclip my sword from my hip, and look at it. The blade was nothing special; it was a basic broadsword with a simple cross guard. Even the scabbard was a plain earthy color. This weapon wasn't the problem though, no, it was my lack of precaution. I thought that defending myself would be simple, but that delusion cost me dearly. If those bastards hadn't been so soft, I wouldn't be a stowaway heading to the mainland of Sanus today.

"I'll make them wish they'd had killed me," I mutter darkly. I close my eyes and began to recite their names, picturing their faces as I recalled my final days with my family. The family those wretched villains had taken from me. I guess the lack of distractions is what sparked my recollection of those last days.

* * *

Several Months Ago

* * *

It was beginning to get dark, as the few trees that were scattered around the island began to cast larger and longer shadows. Soon enough, the only light that will guide me will be the shattered moon above. Not that it matters; I know this island like the back of my hand. I wander to the rocky area, the place I have come to call home for the last forever and a half. It wasn't much, but it was the only territory that the wild Grimm didn't get defensive about. I sigh, seeing that the fire I had started near the mouth of my cave had been blown out by the wind.

"Well, shit," I curse under my breath. I drop the rope I fashioned out of vines from further north of the island, and got to work. While building fires wasn't _hard,_ having to do things twice was something that I found annoying. Before long, I began to mutter to myself again. "Ugh, Astrid, you didn't even bring back enough food to fill you up. You really need to learn to like fish… those berry bushes and fruit trees aren't going to last forever…"

 _Snap._

I look over to the sound of the twig snapping, mildly intrigued. If it was a wild boar or even rabbit, I could try to catch that and eat it. To my disappointment, it was just a small Deathstalker. It clicked as it scurried towards me, and I begin to grin. The Grimm uses its tail to propel itself at me, its claws wide open. I brace myself for the impact, and let out a grunt as it hit me in the stomach.

"The heck was that for?" I asked coughing a little. "It's only been a few hours, you can't be _that_ excited to see me." The Deathstalker wrapped its tail around my legs, before it let go and looked at me with its five pairs of eyes. "Come on Sandy, don't give me those eyes… Don't give in Astrid, don't give in…"

Sandy's ten eyes began to glow and dim at me, and I gave in. The spoiled bastard knew how to turn the charm on, and I couldn't help but give in to his adorable stare. Putting down the two rocks I had been trying to spark a fire with, I begin to scratch his back. Sandy let a sound akin to a purr and I roll my eyes.

"I know you can reach that spot with your stinger, you brat." The scorpion ignored my comment, and I let out a sigh. "Well, you know when Keres, Randal and Poe are getting here?" Before the scorpion can answer me, I feel something hard hit me on the head. Looking up, I see the small Nevermore circling above me. As I look at what he dropped, I see it wasn't a rock like I thought, but an apple, likely from a neighboring island.

I raise my arm, and the black Grimm swoops down and latches on. I wince a little, as his sharp talons dig into my forearm, but I know he didn't mean any harm by it. He's about the size of an hawk, although he likes to act like he's much bigger.

"Thanks," I say to Poe, before I narrow my eyes at him, "but I told you to stop going to other islands. It's dangerous, you know?"

He let out a short screech, and flaps his wings at me.

"I know, I know," I say, rolling my eyes. "You can handle yourself. You can't be mad that I worry about you guys though. You're all I have."

I hear some snarling behind me, and turn to the large Beowolf with what seems to be a massive branch in its jaws.

"Randal," I begin sternly. "Where is Keres? I told you to take care of her." Suddenly, the branch shakes, and the Geist flies straight toward me. Randal's red eyes glared at me. "Alright, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you," I admit, as the Geist possesses my shirt. Keres' mask appears on my chest and I feel her squeezing my torso as she attempts to hug me.

"Getting hard to breathe!" I joke. Keres returns to her Geist form, and circles around me a few times, before possessing my sword. Once again, her mask appears, this time on the cross guard, and she remains still. "Alright, the family's all here," I sigh. I begin eating the apple Poe retrieved for me, and let out a yawn. Absentmindedly I begin to stroke Randal's snout, gently brushing away any dirt on him. I notice the sky once more. It was already dark, and I felt fatigue wash over me.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat," I yawn again. "Let's get some rest." The four Grimm take their respective positions; Poe sits on my shoulder, Keres remains at my side in my sword, Sandy sits on top of me like a weighted blanket, as Randal, who is by far the largest, sits behind me, curling around my form to keep me warm.

"You guys are the best," I yawn, getting various clicks, growls and screeches from my companions. "Good night to you too," I reply, as I allow myself to rest my eyes. Despite my comfort, that night was a restless one.

* * *

My eyes crack open as I let out a chuckle.

"Heh heh, had another nightmare," I giggle to myself. I find that Sandy had already left the cave. "Hmm…" I hum to myself. Randal stirs behind me, and he lets out a low growl.

"You sense something?" I ask. His response was to stand on his hind legs and begin sniffing the air. I figured he must have, as he was getting a bit finicky. "Go on ahead," I allow. "We'll be right behind you." Without hesitation, the Beowolf sprinted out of the cave, leaving me alone with Poe and Keres. Poe opened his wings, stretching them out, before giving a few test flaps. I rest my hand on my sword, and Keres vibrates at my touch. "Seems you two are awake too…" I notice. I let out a tired sigh, and looked over to Poe. "Hey, I'm going to find Sandy, can you scout from above? If you see him, just give me the signal."

He let out a caw, and took off. I smile at the Grimm, and draw my sword.

"Looks like it's just us two for today," I say to Keres. Her lone eye dims at me, and I get the message. "Alright, let's find Sandy… that curious little brat."

A few minutes later, near the shore of the island there is a mob of Grimm roaring as they attacked four girls. At first, I shake my head in disappointment. Didn't these girls know that the Grimm were extremely territorial? It's basic Grimm safety! Judging by their clothing, they weren't from around here, and in fact, were likely from the mainland. I look down to my ragged clothes, that has been mostly replaced by skins from woodland creatures that inhabit the island. Dismissing my slight envy, I continued to watch as Poe descended and landed on my shoulder.

"You think those girl's clothes fit me?" I asked, to which the Nevermore lowered his head, before letting out a low caw. "Damn. What do you think is the deal with these girls though?" I watch closer and realize that the girls were not panicking like I had first thought, but were fighting with surprising amounts of teamwork. "They've done this before," I realize, as I felt my amusement vanish. These girls were killers, trained to take out Grimm. The girl in white eliminates several with strange white wisps that explode into ice, and I begin to feel an unfamiliar sensation. The blonde girl punches the head off an Ursa with a move so rehearsed; I felt a pit in my stomach starting to form. The girl wearing a bow used some strange ribbon to swing towards a bunch of Creeps and began to cut them down with frightening efficiency. Before I know it, my hand is tightly gripping my sword in excitement. I can get in a good fight with them. That's when I see Sandy. The Deathstalker was caught in the middle of the crossfire, trying to find an escape. I feel relief as it scurries off towards Randal, who appeared at the edge of the brush. The relief I felt was short-lived, as in a burst of red petals, everything seemed to slow down. A massive curved blade descended on Sandy, easily piercing his still hardening armor.

"Sandy Claws…" I whisper, my hands beginning to tremble. I feel my shirt beginning to squeeze me, and I notice that Keres' face was on my chest again. "She… killed him." I said in a monotone. Keres reverted into her Geist form, and floated behind me. I only vaguely noticed the black smoke that Sandy dispersed into begin to trail off towards me.

"Nice one, Ruby!" called out the blonde one. I look over to the grinning blonde, who had the audacity to give the hooded girl a thumbs up. Was murder glorified on the mainland? The girl in red, now named Ruby, turned back and gave her teammate a smile… A smile so cheerful I couldn't believe that it came from the girl that killed one of my companions. The shock of the situation was beginning to fade, and I felt something else building up inside me, something I hadn't felt since I left Merlot's laboratory.

I felt angry. I gripped my sword even tighter, and I whispered to Keres.

"I need to you and Poe to get back to the cave. Randal and I will take care of them." I could hear the emptiness in my own voice, and Keres immediately flies off. Poe was a bit more stubborn, but eventually, he too followed. I drop down from the tree I was watching from, my gaze never leaving the girl in red… the girl who so gleefully butchered one of my oldest friends. Her gaze turns my direction for a second, and she lifts her gun at me. Without hesitation, she shoots, but I easily blocked the bullet with my blade. Merlot didn't raise no bitch.

"What was that?" she asked in shock. It occurs to me that she must have not seen me, as Randal had moved behind me, likely sensing my silent fury. The massive Beowolf must have caught her eye, not me. I lift my sword and cut the flora that separated us.

"Who is that?" I heard the girl in white ask. Ruby looked at me with a confused expression. I couldn't help myself and smirked at her, yet I felt no joy. I saw red, and it wasn't from her hood.

"Look out behind you!" Ruby shouted, transforming her weapon as she charged towards me. Having seen her burst into petals before, I quickly scanned her trajectory, and moved to block her attack. I feel a surprising amount of force behind her scythe swing, probably from the weight of it, rather than her physical strength.

"What are you doing?!" the blonde one shouted, as she finished off the last of the wild Grimm. She ran towards Randal, who I heard snarling behind me. It is now that I notice that she wasn't wielding a conventional weapon like the others, and instead wore two heavy-looking gauntlets. My eyes dart back and forth, trying to take in what the four girls were up to. Ruby had jumped back toward her two teammates with a puzzled look on her face, while the blonde one was almost within striking distance of Randal.

"BACK OFF!" I roared at the charging girl. She ignored me, and threw a punch at the Beowolf. To my surprise, a small explosion erupted from her gauntlet and it sent Randal reeling back. I run after the blonde, both my hands tightly gripping my broadsword. When she was within range, I went for a horizontal cut, but found it blocked by one of her gauntlets.

"What is wrong with you!?" she shouted at me. "We're on your side!" She had a surprising amount of strength, as she grabbed my sword by the blade with her other hand and tore it from my grip. She then threw it off to the side, where it stuck into a tree. It seems that she was the muscle.

"She killed him!" I accused, feeling the anger control me. I wasn't used to this feeling, and the words that poured out were only fragments of what I wanted to say to her. "Sandy has never hurt anybody… that heartless bitch killed him!"

I felt a sharp sting on my face.

"Yang!" the girl in the bow shouted.

"Don't call my sister a bitch! She saved your life!" Yang shouted back. I turned toward her, as I touched my cheek. Did she slap me? Then the words she was spouting registered.

"Saved me?" I laugh humorlessly. As I turned to the now red-eyed Yang, I see her being held back by the bow-wearing girl. Behind them, I see Ruby and the girl in white poising their weapons, anticipating Randal's attack. "Bring me my sword." As I ordered the Beowolf, I saw the confusion and horror etch into the girls' faces. Randal snarled at them, but quickly snatched the sword from the tree and returned to my side. I felt a small amount of satisfaction seeing their reaction.

"She can control Grimm?" the girl in white asked. My cold gaze never broke from the blonde, and I pointed my sword at her.

"If you insist on standing in my way… I'll slaughter you _and_ your sister." To my surprise, it was the girl in the bow that took a step forward. I notice my threat had shaken Ruby and the girl in white, and further angered Yang, but this girl seemed to have seen death before.

"Blake, what are you doing?!" Ruby shouted, as she ran to her side.

"Ruby, she's not kidding," Blake seemed to warn her. She must recognize the conviction in my eyes, as I could see her struggle to keep her voice from wavering. Perhaps it was because I must have been the first victim of theirs to stand up to them. I couldn't imagine what it must look like from their perspective… I couldn't place myself in the shoes of ruthless villains.

"We just escaped an exploding island, and we've fought bad guys before," she argued. For some reason, the way she phrased her argument bugged me. If she was a Huntress, which was the picture I was beginning to form in my head, she shouldn't be referring to criminals as "bad guys", but as what they actually are, criminals. Perhaps what I learned from Merlot wasn't completely accurate or maybe outdated. Still, one thing Merlot _was_ right about was that Huntsmen were nothing but false heroes.

"She's not so tough," Yang scoffed, as she flipped her hair in what seemed to be annoyance. "Let me take her."

"You oaf, this isn't a competition!" shouted the girl with the scar.

"Weiss is right!" Blake agreed anxiously, looking over to her. Having had enough of their stalling, I rush forward swinging at the distracted girl.

"Watch out!" Yang shouted, as she propelled herself forward using her gauntlets. I wasn't prepared for her burst of speed, and found myself reeling from a powerful punch that sent me flying back towards a tree. Pain erupted from my back, spreading over my entire body in an instant. Biting my tongue, I steady myself as I face the four down. Randal already raced to my side, and stood in front of me protectively. He roared loudly, no doubt attempting to get reinforcements from his Beowolf kin. I walked next to him and begin to stroke his thick coarse fur.

"You four have some nerve," I say through my teeth.

"What did we do?!" Ruby shouted at me, seemingly conflicted about fighting me.

"She's crazy, nothing she says makes sense," Yang assured her. Her dismissive attitude towards me only further infuriated me. Was my anger not justified?

"I'm not crazy!" I shouted. "How about I kill one of you, and you'll all see how I feel!" Not waiting for their response, I rush toward them, Randal running right beside me. "Combo three!" I shout. The two of us close in on Yang, who was the closest to us, and we unleashed a barrage of attacks. As I swung low, Randal swiped high, forcing the blonde back. We gave no room for a counterattack, and we nearly cornered her, but I felt ice blossom around my ankle, anchoring me in place. Randal continued the assault, but without me covering his openings, Yang easily began to bob and weave between his attacks and got more than a few punches in.

"Ladybug!" shouted Ruby. I found myself confused, only to realize that it was the name of one of her combination attacks. She and the black haired girl began an assault on Randal that he was barely managing to weather. He swung wildly, landing a devastating swipe against Blake by pure luck. Ruby noticed immediately, and fell back.

"Strawberry Sunrise!" she called out again. She and her sister then began another assault, this one entirely different. Where Ruby and Blake complimented each other by slashing together, Yang and her sister had a much stranger approach. Ruby took point, using her scythe to force Randal back with a wicked upward swing that caught his jaw. The force managed to knock him on his back. Then Yang crouched on Ruby's scythe, and like a hammer, the red clad girl swung overhead and downwards. Yang used the momentum and smashed Randal's skull into the ground with enough force to completely shatter his head. Black ooze splattered against my face.

"Randal!" I cried, as I tried to break free from my frozen ankle. I pulled harder and harder, until I felt a searing pain and I found myself free. Forgetting my weapon, I kneel over Randal's dissipating body, the telltale signs that he was dead. I gently touch his bony mask, before it fades into nothing. His black mist surrounded me, as if he tried to embrace me once more from beyond the grave. A second emotion I was unfamiliar with began to surface. Where I only felt rage when Sandy was killed, the moment Randal was no more, I felt nothing but sorrow. My will to fight was gone, and I began to weep.

"Um… guys?" Ruby began awkwardly. "What do we do?"

"She attacked us," Weiss whispered, but I manage to catch it. "Do we take her back to Beacon?"

"I'll kill you all," I manage to choke out. I look over to the four girls, who were clearly much better suited at combat than I, but the overwhelming emotions were too much. I wipe the tears from my face, and bite back my sobs. "I don't care how long it takes… One day, I'll find you all, and I'll kill you."

"Good luck," Yang scoffs, walking up to me. I take a step forward, meeting her gaze. I can see that the other three girls are tense; obviously not agreeing with this blonde's actions.

"I don't need luck," I spat. I could already feel them coming, and from the looks of it, the girls didn't. Yang was strong, but I knew that when the four were scattered, the advantage was mine.

 _THUD._

 _THUD._

 _THUD._

I couldn't help but grin as I felt the cavalry arrive. Yang jumped back as several razor sharp feathers, the size of small knives embedded themselves into the ground she occupied a second before.

"What is going on?" asked Ruby, as she fell into her combat stance. Weiss followed suit, as Blake rushed to Yang's side. It seemed they had established partners already.

"What is that!?" cried out Weiss, her eyes widening beyond belief. I jump as high as I can, and a large stony hand catches me. I raise my arm, and Poe lands.

"Just a few friends," I answer them. Keres, who had taken the form a rock golem, ripped a tree out of the ground and threw it at Yang. The blonde, to her credit, was smart enough to evade it, rather than attempt to block it. As the impact picks up a cloud of dust, I see a gun flying at me attached to a ribbon. It latches onto Keres' shoulder, and I see Blake slingshot herself up. Without hesitation, I clash swords with her, defending Keres' face. Poe takes off, and I'm unsure where he went. Blake takes out a second weapon in attempt to overwhelm me, but I am no stranger to being outnumbered. I find an opening in her swings, and I kick her in the chest, sending her tumbling off Keres.

"This girl is insane," I hear Weiss comment, as she jumped over another swing from Keres.

"I'm not insane!" I shout at her. She looks up at me, scowling. At that moment, I see Poe rain down another barrage of feathers at the girl. Seeing that two girls were temporarily dispatched of, I scan the area for the other two. I hear a battle cry from above, and see Yang coming down with her fist cocked. At this rate, she'll kill Keres too. Disregarding my search for Ruby, I jump up to take the attack.

"Take this!" Yang shouts.

I have had my fair share of opponents land a strong attack on me. One that stands out is a sparring match I had with Keres in her current form. Yang's punch, to my unpleasant surprise, rivaled that in impact. Her fist collided with my forearms, which I had crossed over my face, but I felt the bones in my arms crack from the strain. What's more, I flew straight down into the earth, most likely creating a small crater upon landing. With the wind knocked out of me, I couldn't even manage to shout in pain. I do my best to ignore the agonizing feeling of standing up, but I feel unsteady. Looking back to Keres, I see her arm get shattered by a combined effort of Ruby and Weiss.

"Get out of here!" I attempt to shout, although it comes out weakly. "I can't lose you too!"

Keres' form turns to me for a moment. This is when I curse myself, as I see Yang charging from behind her. I had unintentionally given her the opening she needed. She shouted once again as she cocked her fist back, only to stop dead in her tracks when more than two dozen feathers forced her back. I see Yang's Aura break, and begin to wonder if we should go for the kill, but ultimately decide against it. If I killed her, it would be a three on three. If I left her as she was, somebody on her team will likely be trying to protect her rendering both inefficient, making it three on two and a half. I finally steady myself, and draw my sword once again.

"I'm coming for you," I warn Ruby. I begin to rush towards her, but heavy gunfire makes me halt in my tracks. If my own Aura hadn't broken, I would have gone ahead and attacked.

"A bullhead!" Weiss shouted. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Keres' golem form turns to pebbles, but she manages to escape from dying by zig-zagging away from the airship. Poe squawks from the cover of a tree, letting me know he was alright. The girls all rushed towards the airship, leaving me behind.

"COME BACK YOU COWARDS!" I shout at them. "I'LL KILL THE FOUR OF YOU! JUST YOU WAIT!" As the ship left, I fall to my knees, as I feel exhaustion take over me. With the adrenaline gone, I feel the hunger from the night before, as well as the fatigue from this fight. I lean on my sword to stay upright, but eventually collapse right there.

* * *

When I awaken, I find myself with Keres and Poe nearby. Poe caws lowly, as Keres simply floats, unsure what to do. I extend my arm, and Poe flies over to me. Keres once again possesses my shirt, although her embrace is much gentler this time.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to them, feeling the sorrow returning slowly. "I… I wasn't strong enough…" My shirt tightens again. "Keres… I'm sorry, I almost got you killed." Poe locks his eyes with mine. I could feel mine widen, and him stare into my soul. There was no use trying to argue with the Grimm.

"You're right," I concede, shaking my head. I look down to the grass I was lying on, and see what is likely my blood staining it. It seemed to be coming from my foot, where my skin was torn off when I ripped my ankle free from that Weiss' girl ice attack. The red triggers something in my mind, and I can only think of that damn girl Ruby. That's when I remember what Weiss had whispered to her team. They went to Beacon, a Huntsman Academy. Although it's been a while, I remember going over that with Merlot's assistant many years ago. Beacon was in Vale, which was on the mainland of Sanus. If those girls were here, the mainland couldn't be that far off.

* * *

Present

* * *

"Ruby… Weiss… Blake… Yang…" I whisper in a mantra. "Ruby…Weiss…Blake…Yang…  
I'll kill you all for what you did." I hear flapping and Poe lands on my shoulder once more. The side he lands on sinks under his weight, as he's gotten much bigger. If he were to stand next to me, he'd be a bit higher than my waist. If I had to guess, he'd be a little taller than an albatross, although much heavier. Keres was currently wandering around the cargo hold, likely still looking for food for me. What a nice Grimm…

"We're almost there," I told the two. "Sanus is the mainland, so we're going to be closer to our goal no matter what city we land in."

* * *

Stories I heard about Vale from Dr. Merlot usually started with him describing how lush and thick the forests were, and how it was the greenest place in the world. His island and any that surrounded it, paled in comparison to Vale. The island I grew up after we went our separate ways was a pretty big step up, and Vale was supposedly even better.

Yet when I snuck off the airship almost a two days later, I found myself in dry, hot air. My bare feet burned against the sand that made up the ground, which was as annoying as it was painful. What's more, there wasn't a river or pond for water anywhere in sight. The trip I took was much longer than I expected, and my throat was beyond dry. I could feel myself looking like a fool, stumbling in the stupid sand like some drunk woman looking for something to drink. The heat was unbearable, and with not having had any water in forty hours, I began to get lightheaded.

"Hey Miss, are you alright?" I heard a man ask. I turned to him, pushing my hair out of my face. I'm not sure if the heat is causing me to hallucinate, but the guy seemed to have pink eyes. He seemed normal enough, I suppose. I guess I must have appeared red from the heat, because the teen just chuckled to himself. "First time in Vacuo?"

"Heah," I tried to say 'yeah', but my mouth felt like I had been eating dust. Instead, I resorted to nodding. Again, the man laughed to himself. 'So glad I could amuse you… asshole.' I thought bitterly. He reached to his side and handed me a strange bag. I gave him a quizzical look.

"It's a water skin," he explained, as if I knew what that was. I raised it to eye level, and began to inspect it. If there was water in there, how do I get it out? Figuring these must be pretty common in this backwards town, I tear into it with my teeth. To my delight, cool water began to pour, and I greedily began to drink it. "Wh-what are you doing!?" he shouted.

"Drinking?" I replied, a bit put off at his confusion. "You're the one who offered it to me."

He snatched it back, although I couldn't care less as I had finished it already. He pointed to the circular part, and began to twist it.

"You're supposed to open it like this!" he deadpanned. I shrugged.

"What's done is done," I reply. To my surprise the guy begins to laugh to himself.

"Were you raised in a barn?" he asked, likely trying to insult me. "You have absolutely no manners."

"I grew up mostly on a deserted island," I admit. Merlot only had a lab and some spare rooms I tended to sleep in. "No barns or manners there." He gave me a look as if I had said something strange.

"I'm not stupid," he told me. Although I didn't say it aloud, I kind of figured he was. His shoulder drooped, as if he expected me to say something to his statement. "If you grew up on an island, how do you know how to talk? Who taught you?"

"If you _didn't_ grow up on an island, how don't you know how to listen?" I retort annoyed. "I said _mostly._ The first half of my life I grew up normal." This guy was getting on my nerves, although I guess I owed him some sort of explanation after tearing his water skin apart. "Look, I haven't really talked to other people in years, sorry if I'm a bit out of practice." I don't consider those four crayon-looking bitches to be people. No, they were colorful monsters.

"You aren't kidding are you?" he asked, his face softening from the skepticism he wore before. This is when I notice his eyes _were_ in fact, pink.

"Why would I make that up?" I ask. I feel the sand burning my feet again, as my thirst no longer distracted me. "Is there somewhere that isn't so hot? I swear it's like I'm walking on coals here."

"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" he asked, looking down at my feet.

"Dude, answer my question first!" I hissed at him. I start alternating which foot I stand on so the burning feeling isn't so constant. The guy just seems to be amused at my antics.

"Yeah, follow me," he smirks. "I'm Nolan by the way."

"Astrid," I reply, quickly following after him. As I follow him, I see a blur of black fly through the sky. I don't have to look twice to know it's Poe keeping an eye on me from a safe distance. "Where are we going?"

"Shade," he replied simply.

"There's plenty of shade here," I point out. Most stalls had a blanket of sorts that cast a shadow over their goods.

"What? No, Shade Academy," he elaborated. The name suddenly clicks as I recall what Merlot's assistant taught me. There were four kingdoms, and each had a Huntsman Academy. Atlas was in Mantle, Haven was in Mistral, Beacon, which is where I need to be, was in Vale… meaning that Shade…

"FUCK!" I shout. Vacuo was in the opposite direction! While it was still technically the same continent, I ended up on the complete other side of it! Nolan had jumped at my sudden exclamation, and looked at me confuse.

"You have something against Vacuo?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Where did that airship come from?" I asked pointing to the ship I had stowed away on. Nolan looked at the ship, and what they were unloading.

"It looks like it came from one of the northern islands near Vytal, I guess." He turned back to me, appearing a bit suspicious. "Do you not know where you came from?" I closed my eyes, and tried to remember the geography.

"Damn… I can't remember," I mumble to myself. "Is there a map or something I can see?" The teen hesitantly pulls out a scroll, one much newer than the one I remember Merlot using. With a few taps, he pulls up a holographic map of Remnant. He points to where we were, and where he guesses the airship had come from. "Where's Beacon?"

"In Vale," he replied, marking it on the map. To my annoyance, it was simply south of my initial starting point. I allow the frustration to pass, before my stomach growls at me.

"I got to go," I sigh to him. "Look, thanks for everything, but I'm better off on my own."

"Right," he replied unconvinced. "Well, if you need anything, just ask for Team BRNZ over by Shade. We're pretty well-known." As he walks away, I can faintly hear him mumble. "Weird girl… cute though. May might like her."

I wander into an area where there aren't too many people, and take my sword out.

"Hey Keres, I need a favor," I say. The Geist pops out, and floats in front of me. "I'm dying here, and I have no idea where to get any food. Be a pal, and find me some, yeah? If you see Poe, let him know I'm here." She left in a whoosh, and I sit in the slightly cooler sand under the shade provided by a building. I continue to feel angry with myself, as I had literally doubled if not tripled the distance I need to travel to get to my destination, and now, I had no clue how I would traverse a fucking desert by myself. My plan was simple, which made it easy to remember, but also left a lot to be desired in this situation.

Step 1. Find a way off the Island.

Step 2. Find my targets.

Step 3. Eliminate them and get home.

I still don't see anything _wrong_ with the plan, but it doesn't give any sense of how to do anything. Maybe I _should_ have reached out to Merlot…

Nah, that guy went crazy.

Regardless, I really needed to figure out how to get out of here. I look over to the passersby and wonder how they could live so closely together. It felt… claustrophobic being here, although it only made me mildly uncomfortable. It doesn't take long for me to hear the flapping nearing me. Instinctively, I put my arm up to receive the Grimm, and Poe lands on it.

"You've gotten really heavy…" I say to him, as I feel myself tip over. "Soon, you'll be carrying me around."

He cawed at me, which brought a smile to my face.

"You always know what to say," I tell him. "You should be careful though, if this place has people like those girls, they'll probably attack you on sight. As confidant I am in my skills now, I doubt I'd be able to hold off an academy full of Huntsman in training…

"Actually… I think it might be a good way to test where I'm at now. No, no, that would be too risky. I wonder how that Nolan guy fights though. From the looks of it, he doesn't seem very strong…" My thoughts escape me, and my mind begins to wander on several tangents. Before I thought about anything for too long, I could feel Poe getting fed up with me.

"You don't have to look at me like that," I whine playfully. I use a single finger to scratch him under his beak, to which he begins to lean into. I grin, seeing the normally so serious Grimm melt at my little affectionate scratch. I feel a pang in my heart, as I remember calling Sandy a brat the night before he was taken from me.

"Don't go there Astrid… You'll just end up getting mad all over again," I mumble. I turn to Poe, and sigh. "Hey, when you were in Merlot's lab, did you ever look at the other subjects? I sort of remember two other humans, but for whatever reason, Merlot let them go really early. He do that for any Grimm?"

The bird shook his body and stretched out his wings.

"Yeah, it's weird huh? I guess he wasn't all bad though. Without him, we wouldn't be here. But his assistant though! Damn, if I was ten years older at the time… Damn it Astrid, stop getting distracted!"

Poe continued to stare at me, and I roll my eyes.

"Not everybody is as smart as you, alright? But you're right, I need to focus. Ok... how to get to Vale from the other side of the world…? Well, there's buying a ticket… but Merlot didn't exactly give me any Lien before I left. I can get a job or something, but damn… all my talents revolve around living off the island. That Nolan guy goes to Shade, but I doubt they'd let some nobody from nowhere like me join. Even if they _did,_ I wouldn't want to be associated with those bastard Huntsmen. Ugh, why is this so hard?!"

I hear something heavy fall in the sand. Looking over, I see Keres had found a wooden crate of potatoes and garlic. On top sat a basket of bread from who knows where. I feel my mouth water, and I rush over to the food. While the bread wasn't fresh, it was still good as I tore into it like the savage I am. Keres falls back into my sword, and Poe caws at me to get my attention. I look over to where he was facing and see a little movement. Instinctively, I draw my sword, and rush around the corner. The tip of my sword points down at the perpetrator. Wide green eyes full of fear looked up at me. It was a kid, not even a teenager. The pathetic look on his face almost made me feel bad for him.

"I'm sorry!" he cried. I sheathed my sword, and rolled my eyes.

"Get out of here kid," I tell him. The boy looks behind me, and I realize he must have seen my Grimm companions. "Don't utter a word about them to anyone, you hear? If you do, I'll find you."

"No, ma'am!" he squeaked. He backed away from me, and then ran off.

"Damn brat," I mumble to myself. I walk back over to the crates, and looked at it all. I fix the bread basket with a bit of everything, and call Poe over. "Here, take this to that kid."

Poe caws at me, and turns his head at me.

"I don't expect you to understand," I sigh. "You guys don't need to eat… Hunger is one of the worst feelings I've felt, and even if the kid is a stranger, I wouldn't wish it on anybody. Be discreet about it, though. We don't need the attention."

With a caw, the Nevermore grabs the basket and flies off. Keres glides over to my side, and floats close to me. I already know what she wants, and I simply raise both my arms out. She possess my shirt and lets out a content sound I rarely hear from her.

"Yeah, yeah," I say, trying to hide the goofy grin I feel coming on. "I love you too, Keres."


	2. Desert Friends

Chapter One: Desert Friends

* * *

Before I realized it, I had spent a week in this desert kingdom. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to deal with the heat, though it probably helped that I stripped off a lot of my usual attire. My squirrel coat was wrapped around my waist, no longer concealing my sword, and I had decided to just abandon my fur pants, though the coat acted very much like a skirt. I was given a shirt by some older woman not long after I had exposed my, um, _assets_ , as she phrased it and wore it to cover my 'modesty'. The material was soft, and it breathed so I wasn't opposed to wearing it. My hunger pains had also subsided; Poe made it abundantly clear that food was easier to come by in this place, likely due to the population it needs to support.

"What I would do to fly…" I hum to myself wistfully, imagining that I was Poe for a moment. My destination was already in sight, but I decided to just keep a calm pace; I was in no rush after all. Vengeance takes time to plot, and if Merlot taught me anything, it was to have contingency plans for all of your contingency plans. I walk through the gates of Shade academy, and head towards a group of four girls sitting under a tree.

"Yo," I call out to them. "Any of you know where Nolan is? He said he's a part of some team Bruise or something."

"Nolan Portirio?" asked the girl with long auburn hair.

"Did you really call them team Bruise? Oh, I need to remember that one," the one with blue hair replied with a smirk. Two of her teammates began to giggle along with her. "It's so fitting since they're always getting their butts kicked by us."

"Um… Okaaay," I began awkwardly. "So, I take that as a yes? Mind pointing out where?"

"They're probably in the rec room," the first girl offered. "It's past the fountain there, and around the corner on the left side."

"Thanks," I reply quickly, as I begin heading over. I didn't get far, before I was stopped.

"I don't know what Nolan's told you, but you shouldn't believe everything he says," the second girl calls out to me. "If he tries anything funny, just tell them you'll let team NDGO know. We'll straighten them out."

"Um, ok…" I take a few steps back, before turning and leaving to my destination. I only get a few steps when I hear one of the girls say something about my sense of style. While the insult itself didn't bother me so much, the fact that she was talking behind my back irritated me to no end. "Stupid bitch…"

Following their directions, I come across the recreation area, where I see Nolan and two others training. They seemed to be having a free-for-all style match, given that they swung their weapons at anybody within range. Amused, I find a spot to sit and watch trying to memorize their form. However, I get distracted by their sweating bodies, and just begin to admire the show. I now realize I never really got to admire a guy before, and frankly, it's kind of nice. Nolan, the only one I recognize, manages to shock the one with saws on his wrist, and I smirk.

"Nice," I say to myself. I figure I'd root for him, given that I didn't know the other two. Nolan, however enjoys his victory a little too much, and ends up getting knocked down by the one with claws. Nolan tries to block a punch, but he was too slow. With a clawed fist inches from his face, and no real options to retreat, he frowns.

"Damn it, I yield," he said grumpily.

"I knew it," I laugh to myself. "He's weaaak!"

"You think so?" I hear some girl asks me.

"Yeah, didn't you see that?" I respond, gesturing to the fight. It was totally obvious what the boy needed to work on. "He totally had the upper hand against Frisbee over there, but the second he got a decisive hit in, Eyebrows wrecked house. With that shocky stick thing he has, he should have been able to keep both at a safer distance. His awareness in a fight is awful, and Eyebrows is an opportunist."

"Frisbee? Eyebrows?" the girl laughed. "Oh gosh, I would have never thought to call them that! You got anything for Nolan?"

"Pinkeye?" I offer, recalling his pupils. The girl begins laughing even more, and I take a good look at her. She wore a beanie that covered one of her eyes, and a red and white jacket of some sort. "How are you not sweating in that? It's like a million degrees here."

"I grew up here, so the heat doesn't really bother me," she answered, after her laughter died down. "I'm guessing you're that girl Nolan was talking about."

"Why would he talk about me? What did he say?"

"Other than the fact he claims that you ripped apart his water skin?" she asked knowingly. I vaguely remember the event then laugh. His face was funny to look at, though I probably should eventually replace it. Where would I even buy that, though? A question arises in my mind.

"What's with that anyway? I didn't know water skins were still a thing. Where'd he get it?"

"I don't know where he gets his stuff, to be honest. I guess he's trying to be a hipster or something. I keep telling him, 'dude, we have thermoses that work better.' Buuut he never listens."

I smile a bit, already enjoying this girl's company much more than NDGO's, and I decide to introduce myself. "Well, instead of 'that girl' you can call me Astrid. Even us savages have names, you know."

"You really call yourself that? A savage, I mean," she asked amused, before eyeing my attire. "Hmm, you make it work. I'm May, by the way."

"Like my favorite month," I say offhandedly. She smiles shyly for a moment, and I swear I see her turn a bit red. I bite my lip a little, feeling sorry for her. "You should really take all of that off."

"W-what?!" she asked, turning even brighter. I find her behavior a bit confusing, and point to her attire.

"Your jacket and hat," I say, trying not to sound condescending. "You're turning different shades of red, and heatstroke is not a joke." I vaguely recall passing out under the sun back on the island when I didn't drink enough water to stay hydrated. If it wasn't for Randal, I'd probably be dead. I frown, remembering the gentle giant that he was. He didn't deserve what happened, and if I had been—

"Yo, it's island girl!"

I turn to Nolan, who interrupted me from my thoughts. While his greeting left a lot to be desired, he was a welcomed distraction. "Yeah, and it's you… hippy? You called him a hippy, right?" I asked May. Nolan furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"Uh, no, I said Hipster."

"Yeah, that!" I corrected, pointing to the one-eyed girl. I then hear a few laughs from the rest of his team.

"Did she call you a hippy?" asked Frisbee, stretching out his arms as he approached.

"Shut up, Roy," Nolan said with an eye roll. "This is the girl I told you guys about."

"The one that bit into your stupid water skin?" asked Eyebrows.

"It's NOT stupid!" he defended. I begin to laugh loudly at the poor boy's expense. I don't know how long I laughed, but I ended up wiping tears off my face when I was done.

"Damn, I needed that," I say contently.

"So what are you doing here, anyway?" asked Nolan, putting the small incident behind him. "You said you were better off on your own."

"Yeah I know, but there are some things that even I can't go about doing by myself. You said if I needed anything to come here, so here I am."

"Riiight," Roy interrupted, crossing his arms. I'm slightly impressed with how naturally he made the gesture look without clashing his saw blades together. Years of practice, surely. "So what did you want from him?"

"Money," I replied simply. "I need to get to Vale." There is a silence in the room, before the three boys start laughing at me. I frown, not seeing the humor, and wait for them to finish, but realize it would be a while, if the knee jerking was any indication.

"What's waiting for you in Vale?" asked May, being the only person not ridiculing me.

"Four girls, actually…" I reply, trying to reel my anger before I displaced it on the Team BRNZ. There must be something about this culture I'm not grasping yet. I notice the strange look Eyebrows was giving me, and I figured I should explain. "Let's just say these four girls showed up, changed my life in a way that words fail to describe and I haven't gotten the chance to return the favor due to their early departure."

"How'd they change your life?" asked Roy, his curiosity seemingly piqued. I sigh a bit sadly, remembering my two companions. The stupidly adorable scorpion, and the vicious, yet cuddly wolf.

"They left me… incomplete…" I reply, trying to keep my voice from wavering. It was surprisingly difficult to talk about it, so I kept the details to myself. I didn't know these people well enough to open up, and I only trusted my Grimm partners. I could still see the little scorpions' ten eyes dimming and lighting at me. Sandy was absolutely innocent… and he lost his life fleeing. He must have felt so scared…

"That's terrible," May said with a surprising amount of concern lacing her voice. It confused me, but I sort of liked it. It was a strange feeling, other people caring about me, and I allowed myself to enjoy it a little. "They hurt you, didn't they?" I didn't trust my voice, but I nod. The girl was surprisingly perceptive.

"Damn, that's rough," Roy muttered. "But _four_ of them? Nolan here has trouble finding any girl who likes him."

"Do not!" Nolan growled, shoving his teammate. I looked up confused. What did he mean? I didn't like those girls, I absolutely detested them. I would love nothing more than to skin them like the beasts they were and wear their flesh when I went hunting.

"Who was the last girl you dated?" Roy teased further. I decide to tune out the conversation and collect my thoughts, when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to see May wearing a wistful expression.

"It hurts to lose somebody, doesn't it?" she asked, although I felt like she wasn't expecting an answer. I nodded regardless. "I know what that's like… I had to leave behind the person I loved when I moved here a few years back. We… sort of grew apart, you know? It's been over a year since we bothered talking to each other. The last time we spoke, we realized how different we've become, like we were strangers."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I offer, although I could tell my voice sounded more confused than concerned. "I don't think that our experiences are the same though…"

"Either way, they're gone, aren't they?" she asked, almost morosely. I open my mouth to argue, but she's right. Sure, her boyfriend was still alive, but for whatever reason, he wasn't good for her anymore. I struggle to understand how that must feel, as I had never had any human or Faunus friends to bond with, but figure it was just a different form of death; the death of what once was. I look down in contemplation, thinking to the four murderous crayons. What would I do after I kill them? It won't bring back Randal or Sandy, would it? Even so, I feel a burning desire to end their existence, just like they ended my friends'. It almost excites me, the urge to have them at my mercy. I shudder as I allow my desire to wash over me in waves. I imagine holding my blade to their throats, and showing no mercy. It felt _so good_.

May then wraps a single arm around my shoulders. My first instinct was to push her away, the gesture foreign to me… but I stop myself. In fact, I was beginning to see the appeal of physical affection. It made me feel… safe. Before I knew It, I lean into her a little.

"Well, if you ever want to talk, we're always around," she offered. Her voice was soft, and again, I feel a strange sensation of comfort. The offer, however, was getting a bit too personal. I didn't need anybody getting to know me, and as nice as this felt, I was getting too close to fast. My thoughts bring me back many years, one of the few days I wasn't alone in the laboratory. An older boy held me in a similar fashion, but I struggle to remember his face. I feel a faint pang in my heart. It was unfamiliar, but unlike the rest of my new experiences, it was unwelcomed.

"Uh, thanks…" I reply back, trying to figure out these human interactions. This girl was starting to weird me out, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious to see where this would go. Why was she so caring about a total stranger, though? As I begin to doubt her intentions, I shrug her arm off, and stand up. "Well, if you guys can't give me money, can you at least let me know an easy way to make some?"

"Get a job?" Eyebrows laughed. I turn to him, peeved, and march over to him. This asshole has been nothing but annoying since I got here, and his stupid smug expression needed to be punched in.

"You think this is funny?" I asked, unable to quell the frustration I was feeling. He looks at me and rolls his eyes dismissively. He was challenging me, wasn't he? Growling, I oblige, shoving him into the area the three guys were training a few minutes ago.

"Whoa, what the hell do you think you're doing?" asked Roy, walking over towards me.

"Stay out of his, unless you want me to kick your ass too!" I shout, locking eyes with him for a moment. He doesn't back away, and I find myself in a two on one. Regardless, the urge to bash in Eyebrow's face was too great, and I allow the yearning for battle to overwhelm me. Roy raises his fists and begins to swing at me, but having seen him do the same to Nolan earlier, I counter him easily. As he went for a hook, I lean forward and head-butt him in the nose, then followed up by grabbing his other arm and flipping him towards Eyebrows. I feel a trickle on my forehead, and hope it's his blood, and not mucus. Regardless, humans weighed much less than Grimm, so the shoulder toss was much easier than I expected.

"Whoa, she's got moves," I hear Nolan praise from outside the unofficial match. Eyebrows rushed towards me, swinging his stupid claws at me, and I decide to match him. I punch each swipe he attempts, cutting my hands in the process, but completely confusing him. Ignoring the pain on my knuckles, I narrowly block a sudden knee he tried to ram into my stomach. The impact was surprising, and I realize he had armor there too.

"What a reckless fighting style," I manage to hear May mumble to herself. Despite the statement sounding rather insulting, she seemed impressed, which, if I was being honest with myself, felt kind of nice. I need to keep her around, she's good for my self-esteem. Maybe Nolan too, he's a good punching bag.

Focusing back to my scuffle with Eyebrows, I decide that I _really_ don't like his face. He goes for another swipe, and I finally draw my sword. Using the flat of my blade, I parry his wide swing, and elbow him in the face. He stumbled back, grabbing his, now bloodied, nose, and I use his temporary distraction and swing my blade downwards, right at his head. There is an audible sound of metal cutting through something, I hoped for flesh, as he narrowly dodges to the side. My sword ends up embedded in the ground, and Roy tries to capitalize on the situation by throwing his stupid saw blades at me. I manage to dodge the first one, but the second cuts me across my collarbone, as I had not leaned far enough to completely evade it. I wince in pain, not realizing my Aura was gone. _That's what I get for punching claws, I guess_. I feel a trickling of blood down my chest, and I hear Nolan call the fight off.

"Hey, she's bleeding, her Aura's broken," he nearly shouted, jumping in between me and Roy. I clutch my chest, trying to staunch the bleeding, but the length of the wound was longer than both my hands could handle.

"I'm fine," I say annoyed. I look down to my shirt and sigh loudly. "I _just_ got this shirt…"

"I have one you can borrow," May offered almost immediately. "Come to our dorm, you can change—what are you _doing_!?"

"What?" I asked, confused. I had taken the shirt off, given that it was effectively just a rag now, and was cleaning the wound with it. "I don't want this shit getting infected." I continue to dab at the wound, wincing a little each time, but am happy to see that it was a relatively superficial cut. I guess my Aura had taken the brunt of the attack before breaking.

"Dude… where did you find this girl?" I hear Roy whisper to Nolan, his face visibly getting red. I was beginning to think that people around here claimed to be 'used' to the heat, when in reality everybody was just as miserable as me. I was almost certain that I was as red as the two boys and May.

"You bitch!" I hear Eyebrows shout, as he held his bleeding forehead. I knew that my blade had scrapped by him, but I was happy to see that I did manage to cut him. He stormed over, his other hand holding something. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"I have a feeling you wouldn't understand if I told you," I answer honestly. Also, I didn't feel we had time to get into my past. "What's your problem?"

"My problem?" he asked, mocking. "MY PROBLEM is that you CUT MY FUCKING EYEBROW OFF!"

"W-what?" the rest of his team asked in unison. They swarmed towards him, and he held out his hand. Sure enough, there was a little bloodied patch of skin with what used to be his eyebrow.

"Brawnz… she didn't even shave it off, she cut the whole damn thing off!" Roy said, trying to hide his amusement. "Will that grow back?"

"I doubt it," I reply. "It'll scar over, but chances are you won't grow another one. Think of that next time you want to laugh at me, alright? You still have another one I can take."

"Astrid, let's just get you some clothes," May urged, as she draped her jacket over me. She began to push me away from the furious guy, and I begin to shrug off the jacket.

"Why'd you put this on me?" I asked. "It's way too hot!"

"I did it because you aren't wearing anything underneath it!" she whispered harshly into my ear.

"Ugh, your 'civilized' rules are dumb," I say, rolling my eyes. "What's wrong with walking around like this?"

"It's because you can't just walk around without a top on…" she hesitated, before looking at me strangely. Try as she might, I refused to zip up the jacket. She eyes me up and down, her gaze lingering on my wound. To prove to her it was superficial, I open the jacket fully, causing her to look away, red again. "You are so weird…"

"Yeah, well you can blame Dr. Asshole for that," I say with a sigh. I let go of the jacket, and my hands find the pocket in them. The inside was surprisingly soft, and I put my hands in, feeling the material.

"Nolan said you grew up on an island," May pointed out. I roll my eyes in annoyance, and let out a long exhale. "You had a doctor taking care of you there?"

"I swear, that boy just hears whatever he wants to," I mutter. I turn to May with a deadpan expression. "I also told him I grew up normal for the first… decade…ish of my life. The island was my home for the latter six or seven years."

"Wait, how old are you?" May asks, leading me through the hallways of the school. I put a finger to my chin and begin to think. Years really held no significance to me, but the seasons did, so I begin to count them, but they blur together. I do recall at least six different summers.

"I'm pretty sure I'm like at least sixteen? But I could be older though, why?"

"Every time you say something, I only have more questions…" May said to me, shaking her head. She pushed open a door, and gesture for me to go in. I enter, and look around and see clothes everywhere. Pants half turned out on the window sill, several shirts and jackets on the ground haphazardly placed and many undergarments thrown around as if they didn't have any other place to be. "Those pigs… I'm sorry Astrid, I told them to clean up this morning, but they never listen." She begins to ball up the clothes, and shoves them to the corner of the room.

"Eh, whatever," I shrugged, not really seeing what she was concerned about. It was just clothes, why would I care? I take off May's jacket, feeling very sweaty, and frown as I notice my blood stained it a little. "Sorry about your jacket…" She turns to me, and her gaze falls to my wound again. "You want a picture? I doubt it'll scar over."

"H-huh?" she asked, looking up. She finally notices that I'm handing her back the jacket, and she awkwardly takes it. "Thanks."

"Um, ok… are you sure you're alright?" I asked, stepping a bit closer.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assures, although her behavior only confuses me further. Shrugging, I look to their beds, and lay down on the cleanest one. I let out a pleasurably hum, not having slept in anything so soft since leaving the laboratory.

"Do you have any preference as to what you'd want to wear?" asked May, as she ruffled through her closet. She had already threw on an identical jacket. I sit up, and look at her selection, and laugh.

"Why do you have so many of the same jackets?" I ask, no longer feeling as bad for staining one. "Don't you ever wear anything else?"

"I do," she replies a bit defensively. I back track a little, feeling as if I was antagonizing the only person, aside from Nolan, I was fond of.

"I don't mean it in a bad way, you look good in it." I gesture to my attire, and laugh. "I have no place to judge, look at me. I'm wearing furs in a desert."

"You're not from around here," she said to me, her tone softer. "How about you pick out whatever you want, and we'll go shopping? Unlike the guys, I'm not throwing away my lien gambling."

"Are you sure? I have like nothing to my name I'm willing to depart with." I clutch my sword defensively, ensuring it hadn't gone anywhere.

"No it's fine, I mean it," she says too quickly. "I don't really hang out with other girls, you know? Team NDGO is kind of stuck up, and the guys aren't really people you'd want to talk to about girl things."

"Hmm…" I hum, although I was still lost as to what she was referring to. What were girl things? Were there also guy things? What about Grimm things? I decide to just follow her lead, to see where this went. "I guess that sounds fine. And, yea, Fuck NDGO, they're bitches."

"Hahaha, I'm guessing you've met them?" she asked, smiling again. I think back to the four girl, and cringe.

"Oh, yeah, they were sitting around in the shade talking about some pointless shit, I'm sure. I only asked where I could find your team, then one makes a remark about my 'fashion sense' or something."

"They're pretty girls," May explained. "They're mostly just concerned about how they look, although they are strong."

"Psht, they're not that pretty," I scoff. "Especially that girl with the giant dress… But serious question here; why the hell do so many people wear such heavy clothing? The only ones who aren't are the Frisbee and the blond girl from NDGO. Everybody else has layers, and it's waaay too hot for that shit."

"A lot of clothes here is actually really light." May picks up a pair of reddish jeans from the floor, and hands them to me. "Feel it." I do, and I'm surprised. I snatch them from her, and begin to rub them with both hands.

"Whoa, this _is_ light. How durable is this? I might want these."

"Those are Nolan's, actually."

"So?"

"Um, ok… you want me to wash them first?"

"Nah," I reply, as I begin to pull them on. As I finish, I'm a bit annoyed that they're a bit too long and big for me. Taking a rough measurement, I pull them off, and take my sword out to cut off the excessive length. I notice that May is once again staring at me, but I decide to ignore it. I pull the pants on once more, and smirk with satisfaction as they no longer drag on the ground. "You have a belt or something?"

"Y-yeah," she stutters, turning back to her closet. She takes out a black one, as well as a plain white shirt, and hands them to me "Those are mine, but you can have them, I don't really use the belt anymore, and I have plenty of shirts." I pull the shirt on, and loop the belt around me, and it comfortably holds the pants up. I begin to stretch, to ensure it doesn't impair any of my normal movements, which to my pleasant surprise, doesn't. The door then swings open, and the three boys enter, Eyebrows—err— _Eyebrow_ , fiddling with the gauze wrapped around his head. He gives me a look, but it doesn't bother me.

"What the hell did you do to my jeans?!" demanded Nolan. He picked up the pieces I cut off and began to wave them at me, as if I gave a shit. "Do you know how expensive those were?!"

"If you didn't shop at hipster stores, you could've gotten them for a fraction of the price," Roy teases. Nolan just throws the pieces of jeans at him, annoyed.

"It's fine, I'll get you some new ones," May says to him, pushing him over to the other side of the room. She wasn't being particularly aggressive, so I figured Nolan allowed himself to be moved. She begins to whisper something into his ear, to which he begins to smile wider and wider. I notice May turn a shade of pink again, and I made it my mission to remove that jacket off of her as soon as possible. She pulls away from him, and walks back towards me. I notice Nolan is no longer bothered by the jeans. "Come on, let's go."

"Uh, sure," I begin awkwardly. "But I got to check up on my friends, so how about we meet up somewhere after?" While it didn't get dark in Vacuo as fast as it did back on the island, I had been able to keep my sense of time relatively accurate. I must have been at this school for more than three or four hours, and knowing Keres, she would get worried about me. Poe will likely be scouting from above, but if he didn't see me soon, he'd start to descend, making him an easier target.

"Oh, I can go with you," she said with a smile. I bite my lip, unable to come up with a suitable lie. Fortunately she must have sense my hesitance. "Or not… Where did you want to meet?"

"How about the gate?" I offer. It was easy to get there, and this school was actually pretty confusing. The layout didn't make any sense to me; I'm sure we made four lefts on the way to May's dorm room.

"Of course! In an hour?" she asked, to my surprise, almost pleadingly. Her eagerness was a bit off putting, but so far she had been the nicest person, so I decide to look past it. I nod to her, and exit the dorm. I close door behind me, and rush out.

* * *

I make it outside, and I see Poe perched on top of a tall post of some sort, and even from here, I could see his bothered expression. I sigh, and get into the first alley I can, and he descends down. I raise my arm, and he lands, giving me a dirty look.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time," I say to him, although I was aware that he knew I was just making an excuse. He turns away, annoyed. "Oh, come on, you don't need to be like that… You know this is my first time talking to humans since… well, you know."

The Nevermore looks at me through the corner of his vision, then turns away again. I sigh in disappointment. He lets out a low caw, and I nod.

"You're right, I shouldn't have been out so long… but things just happen, you know?" I wince as another excuse comes out, and I try to retract my statement. "Ok, you know what, I'm in the wrong. There's no excuse for what happened, and it's all my fault, and I'm sorry…"

The Nevermore squawks at me, and pecks me in the forehead. I wince at the pain, my Aura not having recovered, and he cocks his head at me.

"I was involved in a spar of sorts…" I admitted. "I cut the other guy's eyebrow off, though. That's something, right?"

I smile as the Grimm bows his head in approval.

"So you forgive me?" I asked hopefully. The bird gestures further down the alley, and I realize that Keres must be waiting somewhere safer. I attempt to scratch Poe under his beak, and he allows it. "Thanks, Poe. You're always looking out for me. I don't know—oof!"

I feel a heavy weigh collide with my stomach, the air leaving my lungs. I feel the shirt May gave me tighten, and my suspicions were confirmed.

"Thanks, Keres, I love you too," I groan. I gently stroke her mask, caressing her face. "Ok, so here's the thing guys…"

I begin to tell the two Grimm about my new acquaintance, and potential friend, May. I immediately sense hesitation and distrust from my two friends, which I completely understand. However, I struggled to explain to them the very foreign feelings I had experienced.

"Look, it's really difficult to explain… Ok, so it's like, well, I'm not quite sure to be honest… I mean I know you two understand me most of the time, but that has to do more with our lives being so close all the time, you know? Don't get me wrong, you two will always be my closest friends, I love you guys… but when I was talking to May, well, she was different than the guys. Don't get me wrong, Nolan is… fine, I guess, and both his teammate leave quite a bit to be desired… but May was different. I don't know, she sort of understands me too—not like you guys, of course! But I barely know her, you know?

"Ok, maybe it sounds stupid when I say it out loud, but trust me, there is some sort of connection there. She was the only one who didn't laugh when I asked for money, and she gave me this shirt! Which… doesn't really seem like much now that I think about it… Ok, but she did offer to buy me some clothes, so that's something right?"

Poe's expression was stoic, but his disappointment rolls off of him in waves. Keres, on the other hand, was concerned.

"Look, I don't understand it either, but she did this things with her arm," I mimic her and wrap my arm around Poe. He flinches much like I did. "Yea, I felt that way too! But like, it started to… make me feel safe, you know? I mean you two do that too, but the thing is I don't really know her. That must mean something, right? She reminded me of when that boy did it to me."

I grow quiet, as the words I said register in my mind. Who was that boy? Why did he suddenly emerge from my memory? He was still a faceless figure, and to be honest, I preferred it that way. It kept the phantom from my past… a figment of my imagination, not a person. But why did I feel that way? I try to think harder, but my stomach ties in knots, discouraging that line of thinking. I should focus on my current goal first…

"Well, I told her I would meet her back at the gates," I finish, feeling a little dizzy. I lean against the wall, a weariness suddenly washing over me. "Whoa… I didn't realize… I was so…" I vaguely feel weightless before the world turns black.

* * *

I'm shaken awake, and I feel an immense pain in my head. My eyelids are still heavy, but I manage to open one. To my surprise, I see Poe's talons gripped around my shoulders, and him peck me in the forehead. _That explains the headache…_ I raise a hand to wave him off, and he lets go of my shoulders, and stands next to me. Keres has possessed my sword, and was hovering around defensively. I sit up, grabbing my head.

"Was the pecking necessary?" I asked sarcastically. I touch my still closed eye, and wince at how tender it is. "The fuck?" I touch around more gingerly, and realize I must have given myself a black eye when I fell. _What the hell caused my blackout, though?_

Poe caws at me, and I exhale through my nose, annoyed.

"Really don't need your input, jerk," I mutter. I stand up, and examine myself. My tiredness was mostly alleviated, but my head still ached. "Whatever, I need to meet May… I'll fill you all in later."

Keres expels herself from the sword, and possesses my shirt in attempt to hold me back. I sigh, and touch her face softly.

"I don't want you getting hurt, alright? Stay with Poe, I'll be back in a few hours. I can handle myself, you both know that." Keres reluctantly obeyed, although Poe was miffed, as he didn't' even respond to me. I shove my hands in the soft pockets of May's jacket, and find something in one. Taking it out, I find one of her beanies, and I smirk. _This will cover my bad eye_. Throwing it on, much like May herself does, I rush over to Shade to meet her.

* * *

Once I get there, I see her looking around, I assume, for me. It doesn't take her long to spot me, and she waves me over. I walk over, scratching my cheek. _The heck am I supposed to do now?_

"I was starting to think you ditched me," she said with a forced smile.

"Sorry, I, um, lost track of time?" I say lamely. I really need to come up with better excuses. Who knew lying was so hard?

"I see," she said, although I could see relief in her posture. What was she worried about? If I didn't show up, she wouldn't have to buy me anything. "I see you found one of my spare beanies, too."

"Yeah, it's pretty soft," I reply, expressing my appreciation. "Not to mention that it smells nice. It's been a while since I've smelled soap, though this scent is new to me. It smells… floral?"

"It's lavender," she smiled, looking away. "It's the shampoo I use. So why are you wearing it like me? Most people don't cover their eye with it."

"Oh, well, you know, when in Mistral..."

"You have pretty eyes, though," she said, reaching out to my face. My first instinct was to flinch backwards, but the feeling of her gentle one-arm-shoulder-squeeze-thing kept me in place. As before, she was surprisingly soft with her touch as she gently moved the hat from my face. "Oh Gods, what happened?"

"Eh, I fell," I reply, a bit embarrassed about blacking out earlier. "I can't see out of it anyway, so I figured I'd pick up some fashion tips from you."

"I'm hardly fashionable," she said, rolling her eye. She tugged the beanie back down, and our eyes lock for a moment. I find myself looking away, feeling the desert heat getting to me.

"Would it be alright if we go somewhere cooler?" I ask, moving away from her touch. "As much as I enjoy staring at you, it's hot out here." I start walking in what I hope is the direction of the market. About a minute passes, and May finally catches up to me. "What took ya?"

"Sorry," she said meekly. I raise a brow at her demeanor, but decide against mentioning it.

"Anyway… where are we going exactly?"

"Well I usually shop over at the square, but if you want something different we can try other shops. Vacuo doesn't really have a lot of fashion hot spots, usually just practical clothing. I think Team NDGO imports their stuff from Mistral or Vale."

"I wouldn't want to look like them anyway," I scoff. I look up to the sky and realize it was beginning to get dark. "It's going to be late soon… Don't you students people have a curfew?"

"Not at all," she said, smiling at me. "Vacuo doesn't really have a lot of rules."

"Yet you force me to wear a shirt?"

"That's different!"

"How?"

"You're not from around here," she whispered. "There's a lot of ex-Huntsmen that aren't above taking advantage of younger girls, especially when they're pretty much advertising themselves. After it gets dark, it just gets worse, so you shouldn't be outside then."

"You literally just said that there wasn't a lot of rules, but now I have to wear certain clothes, not be out after dark and avoid older men?"

"Those aren't laws or official rules, but it's just sort of the way of the land. Shade Academy is the safest place for anybody to be, so these trips to town are usually only taken by pairs of students, or whole teams, to ensure their safety." May seems to be both ashamed and concerned about her Kingdom.

"I've been here a week, and I haven't had to deal with any Huntsmen or danger. Why are you so paranoid."

"Where are you staying?"

"I don't have a place," I admit. "I wander around and find a spot to sleep. I'm pretty good at not being seen if I don't want to be."

"Right, and you said you had some friends with you, right? Where are they?"

"Not around," I answer quickly. "They aren't really into meeting new people, so they don't."

"Oh. Well, if I can, I'd like to meet them."

"I doubt that will ever happen. They aren't fond of humans." My eyes widen as I realize what I had just said, and look at May through the corner of my eye. To my surprise, she just nods, almost as if she understands.

"I see… I guess they've only met racist people then. Well, for what it's worth, Vacuo is super accepting of Faunus as well as humans, if that's the issue."

I remain silent, not wanting anymore to slip out, and just look on ahead, only taking small glances at her every few seconds. Her expression was hard to read, but it almost resembled some sort of guilt.

"What's wrong?" I asked, not able to help myself.

"I just feel like what I said might have been a bit careless," she replies with a sigh. "Of course they'd be cautious, especially if that's all they've ever known. I shouldn't expect them to put themselves out there so easily."

"Eh, they're not here, don't worry about it. Let's just go to wherever you're taking me."

She nods, and begins to lead me towards the busier parts of town. We would occasionally exchange words or she'd point something out to get my opinion on it. As we went from shop to shop, I began to find myself enjoying this stupid errand run. What was happening to me? Was being around humans changing me? Or was this just a sort of inherent joy everybody had? Not knowing was frustrating, but I couldn't bring myself to focus on it too much, as following May in and out of stores was sort of fun. By the end of the trip. I realize that she had bought me two bags of clothes.

"I'll pay you back someday," I say to her, as we head back to Shade.

"What? No, don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "I didn't expect you to get so little, so it's fine."

 _Little?_ How much was this?  
"Still," I said. I try to think of something to repay her with. My lessons with Merlot's assistance resurface, and I knew that I owed the girl at least a favor, if I couldn't buy her out. "If you need anything, let me know. I owe you one."

"You're so weird," she said to me smiling. I roll my eyes, feeling the exact same way about her, when I feel her wrap her arms around me. "I had fun today."

"Y-yeah, me too…" I reply, trying to see if she was trying to crush me, but the pressure was far too weak to do any damage. She releases me again, and, again, I notice her face is flushed. "Damn it May…"

"What?" she asked. If I wasn't mistaken, she sounded alarmed. I shake my head, and grab her jacket by the front. She looks down, then up to me, her face confused. I smile a little, to put her at ease, then pull her closer. As she leans forward, I move, and take her jacket off of her, and grab her wrist to prevent her from falling. "W-what are you doing?"

"I told myself I'd take this off you," I admitted, wrapping the arms of it around my waist. "You're too hot to be wearing this, ok?"

"T-too h-hot?" she stammered. I nod, and begin walking away.

"If I see you wearing this again, I'll take it off again. Stop covering yourself so much, I can't stand seeing you like that." I spare a glance to her, and see her standing there, a befuddled expression on her face. Smirking, I make my way back to my companions.


	3. Priorities

Chapter 3

* * *

I'm sat behind the front desk as a woman dressed in all white came in. I don't think twice about it when she begins to go up and down the aisles, but the way she appears to be scrutinizing everything rubs me the wrong way. Her icy blue eyes narrow as they finally seem to notice me sitting in the corner of the store.

"You gonna buy anything, or are you just going to keep looking around? Because if you need something, I can probably help you find whatever the fuck you're looking for."

"You've sure got a mouth on you," says the woman I called out to. She straightens her back even further than normal and continues walking with an air of superiority.

"You're clearly not from around here. So, what'll it be, lady?" I stretch my arms overhead until I felt a satisfying pop. As the woman mildly winces at the sound, I take in her attire. Her clothes looked too formal to be made in Vacuo and judging from the slight bead of sweat on her forehead, it was much too warm for the kingdom too.

"No, I'm here on official business," she said evenly. She takes out a handkerchief and dabs at her forehead in almost a robotic fashion. I almost laugh at how seriously she was taking herself, and her apparent need to save face. "Where is the owner of this establishment?"

"He's on break," I yawn out, not bothering to cover my mouth. I take a few steps closer and pick up an empty cup. I hold it out to her and ask, "you thirsty?" Despite me not really caring, I was instructed to be 'courteous' to whomever came in.

"That glass is filthy," she remarks, eyeing it for only a second. I take a look at it myself and narrow my eyes. There was a very _very_ fine layer of dust on it that I could barely see. Nodding, I grab a rag from the front counter, and spit into the glass. After a few moments of cleaning, I present the cup once more.

"Better?" She didn't bother responding, but I could see from the disgusted expression she wore what she was thinking. "Listen, lady, that's how Mr. Loam told me to clean it, alright? You have a problem, take it up with him."

"You said he was on his break," the woman nearly seethes at me.

"He is," I say rolling my eyes. "He's out back, drinking. What, you think he went to the bar to do that? He still doesn't trust me to keep up his shop, I'm still on _probation."_

"Exactly, how long have you been working for Jack?"

"Hell, if I know. The days just bleed into each other when you're living in the middle of buttfuck nowhere." I reply annoyed. I set the cup down again and look over to the wall. "Well, my shift's over. Later, lady."

I hear her try to correct me about her name, but I don't listen, and instead walk back towards Shade Academy. I see two black streaks in the sky for just a moment, and I know Poe and Keres are watching out for me, but it bums me out to see them waiting for me to go back to them. I try to push the feelings aside and stand at the front gates of the Huntsmen school. I shut my eyes and take a deep breath to compose myself.

 _Stop doing this to yourself Astrid… you're better than this. You're not wasting your time here, this is all for a reason, stop doubting yourself, you stupid bitch._

"Is everything alright?"

I open my eyes, and see May looking at me with concern. "Uh, yeah, just waiting for you."

"Why are you crying?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked in a scoff. "I'm not crying." I touch my face and feel a tear running down my cheek. "What the fuck? Why am I crying?"

"I was hoping you'd be able to tell me," May says, following with an uncomfortable laugh. "Are you okay? Is Mr. Loam working you too hard?"

"Nah, he's paranoid, but not that bad. I just sat around keeping an eye on his shit like I normally do."

"Well, I can try to help you find another job if you want," she offers.

"No, no, no," I say in rapid fire. "He pays the best around here, and I really need to get out of this damn desert."

"Yeah, I know… you really want to see them, don't you?"

A flash of anger floods me for a moment but was followed by a deep sadness I haven't been able to shake. I ball my hands into fist, then exhale slowly. "I want to do _so_ much more than just see them…"

"Oh, I see," May says, a bit dejected. She seems to shake it off in a brief moment, then grabs my shoulder. "Did you want to go train in the desert again? I can bring along Nolan if you want. I'm not really suited to be helping you with your melee combat."

"Yeah, bring him along," I said with a nod. "I need to work on fighting multiple people at the same time. I don't want either of you holding back."

"Great! Let's go!" she said, typing away at her scroll. "I sent him the coordinates."

I grin, in anticipation, when I realize I needed to check in with my Grimm partners. "I'll meet you there, I have to check up-"

"With your friends, right?" she finished for me. "Why don't you invite them to come watch? I really want to meet them."

"No, I rather they didn't," I reply a bit defensively. I can see some expression hiding underneath her pensive look, but I can't make it out. "Why are you so dead set on wanting to meet them? You've asked about them more times than I care to remember."

May looks as if she doesn't want to answer, but I refuse to look away. A moment passes, and she lets out a sigh. "It's just I want to see what sort of people they are," she explains. "I'm sure if they're anything like you, we'd all get along great."

"We're really nothing alike," I answer, thinking to their Grimm nature. For a moment, I realize how quickly I answered, and try to come up with some explanation. I look around for a moment, and see we're, for the most part, alone. I decide I would tell them about how they're like, instead of what they're like. "There used to be five of us, but two of us didn't make it off the island." I look up and see May's face drop a bit. I shut my eyes for a second and remember the two friends I lost. "Their names were Randal and Sandy… We've known each other since we were little. Sandy was the youngest, and he… was killed first." I feel my hands trembling, and I shut my eyes tighter. "He was killed, right in front of us. Randal and I lost it, everything after that is a blur, until Randal and I were separated for just a moment. He was cornered, and I was too far away to do anything about it…"

"I'm sorry," May said, wrapping me into hug. "I… I don't know what I was thinking! I had no idea."

"It's not your fault," I say, although my voice is quiet. I feel the cold anger set back in, as I evaluate once more what I could have done differently. May lets go of me, but clasps my hands in hers. "It's mine. Never before that day did I let my emotions get the better of me, but since then, they've been dictating everything I do. Like right now, I feel really fucking angry and sad and shit… but I'm remembering them right now, which feels… I don't know."

"Do you not talk about it with the others?"

"Oh, I would if I could," I laugh humorlessly, retracting my hands from her gentle grip. For a moment, I realized that the warmth of our hands was quite pleasant, but I quickly push that thought aside as I think back to my two remaining friends."Poe isn't one to be sentimental, and I feel Keres is the one taking it the hardest. I have to be strong, for her, you know? I love that bastard Poe to death, and as smart as he is, it feels like talking to a rock when stuff like this comes up. Keres is the opposite, and I feel like if I say the wrong thing, she'll shut down. She's way more emotional that all of us, but it's what makes her so endearing."

"Is that why you don't bring them around?" she asks me.

"What do you mean?" I question, confused. "I don't bring them around for their sake. They really hate humans, and I'm the only exception to them. They'll attack most people on sight if they feel they're a threat to me."

"They sound overprotective…"

"Well, it's allowed me to live this long," I point out. "Although, it is nice to have a little freedom every now and again. Look, I should really go check up on them, alright? I'll meet you there in a bit."

"Right, of course," she said with a sad smile. "I'm just glad I understand now."

* * *

I make my way towards an area near the edge of town that Poe had taken a liking to. It wasn't extravagant, but it isolated enough that the two Grimm could have a bit of space to wander without fear of being spotted. As I approach, I let out a whistle, letting them know that it's me. Before I could finish my little tune, I'm knocked off my feet by Keres again, and I start to laugh.

"You really need to stop that," I say between my chuckles. I look over to Poe who eyed me suspiciously. Slowly, he made his way over, but didn't make a sound. "Are you really mad at me still? I've been on time for my check-ins for two weeks, and I haven't passed out again. What more do you want?"

He responds with a low caw and continues to stare. Keres emerges from my shirt, and flies around Poe. I vaguely hear her airy wisps of vocalization, and I feel bad for not understanding her. The two continue to have their exchange, and I'm starting to feel left out.

"Hey, guys? Look, I'm actually doing something today with Nolan and May," I announce, catching both of their attentions. "Also, May says hi again."

Poe flies at me with an alarming speed, and I duck to avoid his tackle.

"What the hell, Poe?" I shout, picking myself off the sand. "Why'd you do that?"

 _CAAW_

"Oh, fuck off!" I say, rolling my eyes. "What do you know?" Poe picks up a bit of height, and I can already tell what he's planning. "You feathery bastard, if you shoot those damn things at me, I'll fucking skin you!"

Sure enough, he lets out a barrage of razor-sharp feather at me. I jump off to the side to avoid the brunt of the attack, but the sand causes me to slip. I try to catch myself, but I'm knock over by dozens of dagger sized feather making impact. I roll down the dune to get away from the assault and recompose myself.

"You're an envious little jerk, you know that?" I taunt. "What, a girl can't have more than two friends?"

I reach for my sword, as I know that if Poe was really going to be throwing a fit, I'd need to be able to defend myself, but find that it's missing. The scarab alone is still hooked to the belt May gave me, and I frantically begin to look around for the blade. To my surprise, I hear clashing of metal, and I peek over to see Keres using one of her arms to possess it, swinging at Poe. The Nevermore fly higher, but Keres' had opted to keep the majority of herself in Geist form, and caught up in no time, frantically slashing at the other Grimm.

"STOP IT!" I shout, as the two were about to strike each other. Keres stopped immediately, and flew back towards me, where Poe descended, but remained far. "Poe, what the hell is going on with you? I thought we were friends? Friends don't go around throwing razor blades at each other, that's fucked up!"

The Nevermore's response was to puff up his feathers again and flap his wings at me. He cawed a few times, and despite not knowing exactly what he said, I somehow felt the meaning behind his frustration. Keres also whispered to me, a vague sound of regret, and I suddenly realized what I was doing.

"Poe… I know you're looking out for me, and this all might seem like a waste of time to you, but I can't get to Vale overnight. Our mission is still my top priority, and you're right… I've been letting my human bullshit get in the way of that. But I still need money to book a flight, and I still need May and her team to get better at fighting. We'll be facing the four of them again, but they'll have their professors, and their other classmates to back them up. I don't have to be as smart as you to know I can't take on a freaking school of Huntsmen and Huntresses, and I refuse to allow either of you to die. We need to be prepared, and if that means we have to take it slow, then that's what we'll do, alright?"

Poe locked eyes with me and began hopping forward. Keres stepped in front of me defensively, but I waved her off. She floated behind me, as Poe finally stood in front of me. To my surprise, the bastard kept growing. A few weeks ago, he stood a little above my waist, but now he stood near my chin.

"Poe why is that you're growing all of the sudden?" I ask. "You've been the size of a seagull for ten years, but you've started getting really big these last few months."

He cawed and lifted a wing. In it was a broken arrowhead, which he gently took out. I haven't seen anything like it, but I haven't been around a lot of Huntsmen, so I wasn't sure what to think. I raise an eyebrow to him, and he flies over a few meters away. Hesitantly, I follow him, and catch him kicking the sand off a large wooden container that was buried in the sand. I open it for him, and I'm almost startled by what I see.

"P-Poe," I asked quietly. "Where did all of this come from?"

He caws lowly at me. I turned to Keres, who looks away, as if in shame.

"Both of you?" I asked, unsure how to feel. "Why? Where?"

As expected, I didn't get an answer, and I watched as the Nevermore placed the arrowhead into the chest and pecked the lid to shut.

"Poe, that chest —you can't keep doing this." I take a step away from him and try to wrap my head around what I saw. "That basket…"

He caws to confirm my thoughts. I feel a strange knot in my stomach, but it vanishes almost immediately. Poe stands on the buried chest and cocks his head at me.

"You're right," I agree. "There was no way we could be sure that the boy would have stayed silent. This was the only way to ensure our safety." The image of his green eyes begging for mercy flash in my head, and to my surprise, I find myself grinning. "What a beautiful expression…" I found the boy's face melting away into the likeness of Ruby, Wiess, Blake and finally Yang. Each one brought a wave of euphoria, and my knees buckled. I trembled as I allowed myself to fantasize a little longer. "You've been putting in a lot of work while I've been gone, and it's only fair I meet you two half way."

I give Poe an affectionate scratch, and Keres a peck as I made my way to May and Nolan. I felt a fiery passion filling me, one I hadn't realized had been extinguished. I grin evilly, as I try to contain my excitement for this spar.

* * *

"Astrid, over here!" I hear Nolan shout. He is standing in a relatively flat sandy area, and May is atop a tall dune, her rifle focused on the battlefield. I don't say anything, as I quickly close the distance. Nolan grins at me, and gives May a thumbs up, but his expression shifts as he realized I wasn't slowing down, and I had drawn my sword. "Whoa, no countdown?! The hell, Astrid?!"

"There's no countdown in the real world," I growl, as I swung high. "Out there, if you hesitate, you die."

Nolan raised his cattle prod to block my attack, but I expected as such, and already twisted my hips to deliver a kick to his midsection. I hear him let out a breath, and I jump back as I hear a bullet whiz past my ear.

"Don't go easy on me," I scold May. "I know you could have made that shot!"

Immediately after I finished shouting, I began wildly evading her suddenly much more accurate shots. In my head I begin counting, as I keep Nolan in my periphery. When she shot her fifteenth shot, she began to reload, and Nolan began pushing the offensive. _They definitely work well together. This is exactly the kind of thing I need to be used to when I face off against those colorful bitches._

Nolan tries jabbing me with his weapon, and I roll my body to his left, and bring my sword down as hard as I can to his exposed back, but before I made contact, my sword goes flying out of my grip. I look up to May, who is giving me what I assume she thinks is an apologetic smile. This momentary distraction proved to be too much, as Nolan already recovered, and I felt electricity course through me as he struck me in the side of the head. While the initial force wasn't extraordinary, my lack of footing made it possible for him to knock me down and roll in the sand.

"Alright, I think that's enough for round one," Nolan said with a pant. He offered his hand out to me, and I accepted it. "Damn, you came here with some aggression, everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say, waving it off. I didn't expect to win on my first try, but the constant taste of defeat was getting on my nerves. First it was on the island, then it was against Roy and Brawnz, and now it's against May and Nolan. "Maybe I should stop giving myself a handicap…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Nolan. "May said you _wanted_ to fight multiple people."

"I did, but I realize now I've never fought anybody in an even fight. I'm always outnumbered." May came skidding down the dune, and I'm glad to see she hadn't put on her jacket since I saw her last. "Hey, May, nice shooting. I'd never dream of being able to hit those shots."

"It's just practice," she says with a shy grin. "I can teach you some of the basics sometime."

"That'd be a great idea," Nolan answers for me. I look at him questioningly. "Think about it, you'd be able to wither down people's Aura from a distance, then finish them off with… that thing."

"It's called a sword," I say, rolling my eyes.

"I'm aware," he grinned. "It's just kind of basic. If my weapon was a simple as yours, I'd be fighting with a club. Even May modified her rifle to have this little axe thing on the back."

"I use that to get to get high ground," May corrected.

"Not around here you won't. You can't exactly stab a dune with that thing and expect to get up very far. That thing is more suited for trees or rocks. Why don't you learn to smack some people with that when they get in your face?"

"If I did that, who would cover you or the rest of the team? Without me watching your backs, you'd all get taken down way faster."

"Yo, can you guys argue some other time?" I asked, annoyed. "A distance weapon sounds nice, but Poe has that covered for me."

"Then bring him along," Nolan said with a wider grin. "He and May can have a sniper fight while we engage in the art of beating the living crap out of each other."

"Poe doesn't like meeting new people," May interjected before I could answer. Nolan appeared to want to ask more, but a pointed stare from May was all it took to shut him up. I vaguely wonder if Poe learned that technique from somebody, as I recall a few times he's done that to me.

"Right, he doesn't," I agree. May smiles at me, and I feel a strange fluttering in my chest again, and I've decided I could no longer keep it to myself. "Can I ask you guys something?" Nolan shrugged, which I assumed was his way of saying yes, and May nodded. I walk over and grab both of their hands and put them on my chest. "Do you guys feel this?"

"Oh yeah," Nolan said, with a strange grin.

"W-what exactly are you talking about?" May asked.

"I think the desert is affecting my heart," I admit a bit quietly. I didn't like to admit my weaknesses, but this was getting out of hand. "Like since getting here, it's been doing this weird thing where I feel like there are beetles buzzing around in there." I remove their hands, and sigh.

"Are you sure it's the desert?" asked Nolan, wiping something from his nose. I narrow my eyes at him, as his tone indicated he knew more. He laughed and continued. "I mean, it could be _someone_ that causes you to feel this way, you know?"

"Don't be ridiculous," May interjected, "she already told us about those girls in Vale."

"The heart wants what the heart wants," Nolan grinned. "It could be that she's moving on from her old flames."

I feel my eye twitch as I try to figure out what they meant by 'old flame'. Although the hatred I felt for them was indeed rooted in my heart, they weren't wrong about that. But the fluttering I feel when I look at May is pleasant… I think? The confusion irritates me further, and I shake it off. "Why don't we start another round?" I suggest, still feeling the residual anger inside. "May, get to you position. Nolan is going to need you."

The two give me strange looks, but May complies, and climbs the dune. I notice that Nolan was right, in that her rifle didn't help her much in navigating the sands but kept my thoughts to myself. I allowed Nolan to make the first move, as I tried to control my trembling hands. I was too eager to hurt somebody.

"Now!" shouted Nolan, as he rushed towards me. I jumped to the side as May's bullets began to rain down on me. Nolan quickly closed the distance, and just in time for May to reload, I noticed. He swipes his weapon at me, and duck underneath it, and thrust my shoulder into his stomach. As I felt him lean over me, I lifted up, and slammed him into the ground, and straddled on top of him. "Nice!" he compliments. He looks over to May for a moment, then back to me. "Hey, I don't know if you know this, but May has this huge—"

I brought both of my fists down on his face with as much force as I could. His words didn't register to my ears at first, and I could only think about hurting him. I can't explain what came over me in that moment. Maybe it was the combination of the frustration of being stuck in a freaking desert and not making enough money to leave anytime soon. Or perhaps the fact that Poe and Keres were out risking their lives while I spent most of my time in a rundown store that nobody goes to. Whatever it was, I just felt unbridled rage, and I saw red.

The next thing I remember is an intense pain in my shoulder as May shot me off Nolan. I winced in pain, but otherwise lied in the sand. _What came over me?_ I wondered. I heard pained groaning a few feet away, and I figure Nolan was still dazed. May once again came skidding down the side of the Dune and checked on the two of us.

"Are you two okay?" she asked, inspecting her teammate first. She then walked over to me, as I looked up to the sky blankly. "Astrid? You did a number on Nolan, I'll give you that —oh my god, are you okay!?"

"I'm fine," I say with a wince. I look to my shoulder and see there is blood gushing out steadily. "That's a strong rifle you got there. You got anything to…" I felt lightheaded, and my vision began to swim. "Anything… to stop… the…"

* * *

 **A/N**

 **So... Here's an update. I know it's been a long time since I've updated this story, but I hope somebody likes it.**


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